Milling 7075

[warpedmephisto]

I've done a lot of work with 6061 and a little work with 2000 series aluminum before, but I was wondering if there's anything I need to watch out for while milling 7075? Or should it be about the same as 6061?

[mechanical]

If it is in a finished condition, say T76 it cuts easier then 6061 because it is much harder and will not gum up your cutters as bad. If it is annealed then that is a whole different story on milling it.

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

[warpedmephisto]

Material says 7075-T6 on it. So that means it should be a bit easier to machine than 6061-T6?

[warpedmephisto]

Also another quick question.

I need to mill a 0.57" deep 0.41" wide slot 1.66" deep inside of a part with a 3/8" end mill (for use on the 7075-T6 aluminum mentioned above). Would I be fine with a high helix (aluminum cutting) 2 flute HSS long end mill, or should I go with carbide for added rigidity? I plan on doing the machining on a full size manual mill, not my cnc benchtop.

[fpworks]

A carbide endmill is definately a better choice considering your required flute length. I would also make it a 3 flute. The extra flute will give it a little thicker cross section for rigidity, and there will still be enough clearance between the flutes for chips.